New Delhi: The Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda in his inaugural address to the 77th session of WHO Southeast Asia Region (SEARO) stated that India’s health system embraces a ‘whole of government‘ and ‘whole of society’ approach to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), with emphasis on strengthening primary healthcare and essential services.
The opening session of the Regional Committee meeting included election of office bearers, establishment of a ‘Drafting Group for Resolutions and Decisions’, adoption of ‘special procedures’ to regulate the conduct of the session and adoption of the provisional agenda. Dignitaries present at the event included Dr Razia Pendse, Chef de Cabinet, WHO Headquarters; Lyonpo Tandin Wangchuk, Minister of Health, Bhutan; Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, Minister of Health, Maldives; Pradip Paudel, Minister of Health and Population, Nepal; Dr Elia Antonio de Araujo Dos Reis Amaral, Minister of Health, Timor Leste; MA Akmall Hossain Azad, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Bangladesh; Kunta Wibawa Dasa Nugraha, General Secretary, Ministry of Health, Indonesia; Dr PG Mahipala, Secretary, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka; Choe Hui Chol, Ambassador of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the Republic of India and Dr Weerawut Imsamran, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand.
Nadda said, “In line with the commitment to provide health cover for all, the Union Government launched the world’s largest publicly funded health assurance scheme, the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri – Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). This initiative covers over 120 million families, providing an annual hospitalisation benefit of $6,000 per family.” He highlighted that the government has recently expanded the scheme to all citizens aged 70 years and above. “This expansion will benefit around 45 million families, including 60 million elderly population, by providing them free health insurance coverage. It underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring universal and inclusive healthcare for India’s growing elderly demographic,” he said.Recognising the growing public health challenges posed by non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the Union Health Minister stated, “India is implementing the National Programme for Prevention and Control of NCDs since 2010 to address conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. This initiative has led to establishment of 753 NCD clinics, 356 day care centres, and 6,238 community health centres to focus on preventive measures at an early stage.”
Nadda said that India as a lighthouse country in the digital health arena, is poised to share its digital public infrastructure (DPIs) such as Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, e-Sanjeevani, Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP), SAKSHAM etc. by providing technical and financial support through the Global Initiative on Digital Health – a WHO-managed network, launched during India’s G20 Presidency. He stated, “Following the remarkable success of the CoWIN digital platform during the COVID-19 pandemic, India has conceptualised the online digital platform-UWIN, for the universal immunisation programme. The portal will register, track and monitor all vaccination events.”
Understanding the important role that traditional and complementary medicine plays across numerous Southeast Asian member states, Nadda emphasised that India has backed the WHO in creating the Global Traditional Medicine Centre, aimed at promoting these systems on a global scale. He said, “India’s experience in integrating this system with the conventional system of medicine has led to the provision of holistic healthcare, promoting overall well-being and expanding the range of healthcare services. Our Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs that are community health & wellness centres are significant in providing comprehensive healthcare through both traditional and conventional systems of medicines, ensuring the physical and mental well-being of our citizens,”
“We believe that collective experiences can drive transformative actions across countries. Health transcends borders, necessitating a holistic and collaborative approach. By learning from each other’s successes and challenges, we can enhance the resilience of health systems,” he concluded.
Addressing the session, Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO SEARO said, “In 1948, when the first Regional Committee for South-East Asia was formed, the infant mortality rate globally was around 147. Today it is 25. Then, the antibiotic age had just begun. Today, we are faced with antimicrobial resistance. And so, as we conquer old threats, we are faced with new ones. It is upon us to confront the perils of today, with the collective wisdom of all who came before us – and with the tools of the 21st century, she added.
Punya Salila Srivastava, Union Health Secretary; Hekali Zhimomi, Addl. Secretary, Health Ministry; Aradhana Patnaik, Addl Secretary, Health Ministry; Dr Rodrigo Offrin, WHO Representative to India and senior officers of the Union Health Ministry were present at the event.
